Old England Grown New

02/07/2023

Because there's a lot of interest in my tufted buttons, here's one of the inspiration images. It's from an image of an officer by Hendrick Goltzius, 1583, in the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection at Brown University. I couldn't find the right kind of core, so I found some unfinished wood half balls (about 3/8") from the craft store. I hot glued them to a piece of poster board, and then drilled out a pretty big hole in the middle of each. I peeled off the hot glue, and then wrapped each bead with the green thread. Check out Gina-B Silkworks ' tutorial on satin wrapping. I then made tassels out of the white thread (about 20-25 wraps around a Sharpie, tied off with heavy duty thread). I then pulled the tassel through the hole until its base was nestled inside (that's where the STRONG thread is important). Sometimes it makes a satisfying little "thump" once it pops in there, but pull too hard and it can pull all the way through. The tail of the tassel then gets anchored to the rest, and a shank is made. The last step is twisting the tassel's threads so they're all more or less in line, then I trim them to length in concentric circles until they're fairly even. Then I tousle the tassel so it's appropriately bushy and fluffy.

02/06/2023

"Sixe fine Keasey suites at xvjs p̱ sute."
Amongst the goods sent to Virginia aboard the Marmaduke, 1623. I had originally made the breeches for an eventual interpretation of clothes worn by Captain John Smith (some of the first clothes depicted on English colonists), but their profile was wrong. Instead I made a cassock several months back to go with them, as suits of a cassock and breeches can regularly be found in English colonial sources. Kersey, described by William Harrison as a cloth Englishmen in the days of yore used to be content with, spanned the social spectrum, but often appears as a material for hose. The narrow, sometimes coarse, twill wool would be hard-wearing and an ideal material for survival in harsh environments. Here it's paired with the accessories of a (very very very very) minor gentleman. I handsewed the suit with fabrics and thread from Burnley & Trowbridge Company and made the gloves and tufted buttons. Johanna Tower made the fur felt hat, Jordana Urbik made the shirt, Sally Pointer knit the stockings, Davis Reproductions made the sword and belt, The Bored Tailor made the bands, Simurlan Shoes made the shoes, Ike Cech made the fingerloop braid for the shoelaces. Demetra Rosen snapped the photos.

12/22/2022

08/18/2022

As Monmouth Caps were so frequently recommended for and worn in the earliest English colonies in America and elsewhere, I've been fascinated with figuring out what they looked like. Suffice to say that the possible 16th century example in the Nelson Museum in Monmouth has little to identify it as having been called a Monmouth Cap in its own time - which I have written about elsewhere. In any case, Charles Heath, writing of Monmouth in the early 19th century could only speculate as to what they looked like. I’m quite certain that Monmouth (and later Bewdley) caps were inclusive of a handful of styles, but the two primary *labeled* images from the 17th century are baffling. Huge thanks to Ian Dicker for tracking one of them down. I had long assumed them to be some flavor of flatcap (not statute cap!!!!) from the previous century, but there’s a lot more to it. The wonderful Sally Pointer (www.sallypointer.com/) came out with the cap pictured, made out of undyed Shetland wool with a madder and oak gall braided band. I had a sort of epiphany as well. I’ve stared at the woman from “The Bad Husband’s Recantation” dated to 1672 for years and scratched my head as to why she was wearing a largely 16th century flatcap so late in the century. Many woodcut blocks were re-used for decades after their making, meaning you’ll find a strange mish-mash of anachronisms on printed broadsides all over the 17th century, but as far as I know and/or have found, this one has no earlier iterations. It then clicked - looking at the other two images pictured that she might indeed be wearing a Monmouth Cap as well. There are a few descriptions of women wearing Monmouth Caps, and I have a separate theory (posted elsewhere too) that some women might be wearing knit hat-style caps but have been assumed to be felt. If you like historical knitwear, Sally’s work is excellent and she couldn’t be nicer. You’ll see her work in the forthcoming Typical Tudor ( https://www.tudortailor.com ) as well!

05/28/2022

This may be old news to some, but I had an epiphany last week. I've long wondered about the Y-shape of the extant 16th century baby's knit waistcoat in the Museum of London. It seemed so peculiar, though not being a knitter myself I had assumed that there was particular purpose to its quirky construction. Now that I have a baby in my life, it finally clicked. Many swaddles today set a baby's arms into the exact configuration of the Museum of London example for comfortable sleeping. Having the arms downward or in a T-shape as in most other garments doesn't seem to support how babies tend to sleep.

https://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/90611.html

02/04/2022

Excellent news! I'll be presenting for Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown 's 2022 Fashioned in History conference this June. It was supposed to happen in 2020, but sadly it had to be rescheduled and while I intended to teach in-person, I'll be speaking virtually.

My talk - "Beasts's Skins Into Adam's Leaves" takes a look at the worldview of early English colonists which governed their perception of Indigenous People's clothing. English people arrived in North America with experiences which had their roots thousands of years before they sailed across the Atlantic. It was these experiences which brought some to the choice of continuing to use their familiar apparel or abandon it in favor of that worn by the people of what we now know as Virginia and New England.

Be sure to check out the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation's website for more information and a complete list of the incredible lineup. https://jyfmuseums.org/fashioned-in-history/

11/02/2021

I'm not sewing a ton these days, but I have been concentrating on writing and speaking engagements. I'll be giving a talk on what the Pilgrims actually wore (and didn't wear) this Thursday at 12:00 EST for Plimoth Patuxet Museums (formerly Plimoth Plantation). You can attend in person or virtually!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunch-learn-not-so-black-and-white-what-the-pilgrims-did-didnt-wear-tickets-198324322387?fbclid=IwAR0gVAdU6FVeAPqRjb9RXmSI4m39cOjUU2wxizfNSr_dBXM3Nr_H-pHA6A0

08/21/2021

I'm teaching for the Victoria and Albert Museum again this autumn (14 October), zeroing in on choices in apparel made by colonists and travelers to suit their environments. If you miss this one, I'll be teaching for them again in January about the English perception of and relationship with Indigenous people's clothing in North American colonies.

2 million objects. Infinite stories. V&A Academy online art history courses bring you all the richness and rigour of V&A Academy art history courses in London.

06/20/2021

Things have still been wild and we're moving soon, so sewing has still been on hiatus for the most part. I had the privilege today of rowing aboard the newly-refurbished shallop, or ship's boat, of the c1620 Mayflower as she returned to Plymouth harbor.

I based my clothing off of sailors' and colonists' records and recommendations, and it was a blast to field test my handsewn garments in the context they were made for. It takes a village, however, and I'm immensely grateful to Sally Pointer, Catherine Ianuzzo, Luke Knowlton, De Messenmaker, Patrick Morton, David Schmid, Noel Gieleghem, and Simurlan Shoes for their wonderful contributions to my accessories and extra gear. It takes a village!

I'm also incredibly grateful to Captain of the Mayflower, Whit Perry, who along with his crew literally showed me the ropes and very kindly allowed me to take part. My great thanks too to Malka Benjamin, who snapped this photo of me.

06/18/2021

There's an exciting event in Texas happening this November that you should check out. There's a great assortment of workshops on historical material culture from such wonderful folks as Tied to Historyand The Modern Maker, plus a rapier tournament. Register soon! https://scuola-di-fabris.squarespace.com/tournament-of-defense?fbclid=IwAR02gdNb0jkC9caOFSUVK8LbX5IjKnohas8AOSuh_PHSwRX6roBdsBNEhTc

Register here for our upcoming 2021 Tournament of Defense!

03/14/2021

It's been a hell of a year, and I've had very little to show for it. I'm lucky to have had some very kind people who I'm proud to outfit, but it's been a struggle to say the very least. I completed a neat collaboration with Cran Ohlandt of Charles Towne Landing last week. He and I worked together to produce a suit of linen for an artisan of the Virginia colony, and it will soon be headed down there. It was all hand-stitched with appropriate materials. Cran produced the breeches, dyed some of the linen with indigo, and provided the buttons that my withered, crone-like hands were having trouble making, and I sewed the doublet- inspired by an extant 17th century example. The silk points pictured were fingerloop braided by Catherine Ianuzzo. I have another canvas suit to finish up for another Virginia colonist, and then I might take a break for a while. Be healthy all of you out there.

01/23/2021

Realizing I've been near silent for quite a while, I just wanted to post a bit and let you know that I haven't disappeared. I've been hit by pandemic malaise pretty hard, and have barely sewn for months- which unfortunately just further feeds the malaise. I'm hopeful I'll snap out of it soon.

That being said, my virtual classes for the Victoria & Albert Museum at the beginning of January went spectacularly well, and if all goes according to plan, I'll be back teaching for them for the third time (hopefully back in London!) next January. It was invigorating and reminded me of how much I enjoy sharing information with others. A big part of my talks this time around was how Indigenous clothing was viewed through English eyes, and especially how, if, and/or when English colonists adopted Indigenous clothing or styles while in North America. I've become increasingly interested in that topic as there seems to be a common perception that within minutes of arrival, settlers threw off their hot, heavy, itchy, lousy, modest, etc. etc. etc. clothing (🤮😡) and miraculously discovered they could make a hat out of a deerskin. Let it be said that this doesn't seem to be quite the case.

Besides that, we got a puppy in the Autumn. His name is Dr. Faustus. Being pretty devilish himself, it seemed fitting.

I hope you're all safe and not too stir-crazy. I'll try to get back to making and posting more soon. Stay positive and test negative!

Dan